#09: Dianne & Elisabeth

You may recall that earlier this month we reviewed The Marshal. Now the same owners bring us Dianne & Elisabeth! If you live in Hell’s Kitchen you know good food is hard to find so we were excited to attend their opening weekend.

Located just a block up from The Marshal, D&E looks like you’ve landed somewhere downtown with its intimate vibe. The restaurant is split into two rooms with a long wine bar on the left and a long dining room on the right. The dining room features a white washed exposed brick wall that stretches the length of the room with small lights overhanging each table. This place is perfect for a low key (and delicious) date night.

To get things started, we ordered our 1st round of cocktails off the “Make New Friends” menu: “Momma’s Beauty Rest” and “World’s Best Gin & Juice”. Both were amazing as you could taste the fresh squeezed ingredients (find full details on everything we had with our rating below). For food, we started with the Langostino Poppers. Each beer battered piece was heaven, especially once you dunked into that lemon verbena-garlic drawn butter. Burrata is a must, so we couldn’t stay away from the Hudson Valley Burrata with heirloom tomato, aged balsamic, fresh basil and stone fruits. Soon as the plate hit the table, it was radio silence. The only words exchanged were “Is that your tomato or mine?” LOL. Yes, it was THAT good. This burrata was the bomb, the peaches were crisp, and aged balsamic drizzle tied all the textures and flavors together perfectly. By the time we finished our plate, it was time for some more drinks!

This time we went with the “Duke of Earl” cocktail [made with vodka, earl grey tea, lemon, orange cream bitters] and an Ace Pineapple Cider. Verdict: Earl Grey + vodka = amazingness, and the Ace Pineapple Cider hit the spot – sweet, but not too sweet. Just as we started to sip our cocktails, our Duck Wings Confit arrived which almost made us drop our drinks as we each reached for a wing. The meat was so crispy on the outside and super moist on the inside, it fell right off the bone; cooked and seasoned to perfection.

Not long after devouring our duck, our “Red Ravioli” arrived. This dish is homemade ravioli stuffed with GOAT CHEESE, ricotta & herbs in a sage butter sauce. Being that we LOVE goat cheese, we knew that we had to order this and we were extremely satisfied with the results. The cheese and butter sauce combo was a match made in heaven, and the fried sage added a salty bite. The dish left us wishing we could eat more… much more. After our dinner, we rested for a few and ordered another round of beers going with Boulder Shake and Braven Bushwick Pilsner.

Lastly, we ordered dessert and of course we had to get the SAMMIES – sweet cream ice cream sandwiched between two hazelnut meringue cookies. They come in sets of four or six, and trust us you’re going to want six. The Sammies were super light, mini macarons and the sweet cream ice cream subtlety balanced the sweetness of the cookie. We just wish we could’ve had a few more, and by that we mean 100 or so. Note: the chocolate taste of Boulder Shake complimented these nicely 👌

Following our meal, we had the pleasure of meeting with Charlie Marshall, the creator/chef behind The Marshal and Dianne & Elisabeth. After just a few minutes of chatting with him we could tell that he’s extremely passionate about cooking and his roots. His background makes him no stranger to restaurants or the farm, helping him provide the best local ingredients to his guests. Being at either of his restaurants has expanded our awareness and love for locally produced goods. Charlie’s knowledge and attentiveness to quality will be sure to make this new spot a success and his mother Elisabeth very proud!

If you find yourself in midtown, stop by for some awesome food at a great price. Congrats again to the awesome team at Dianne & Elisabeth on creating another gem here in Hell’s Kitchen, we’ll see you again soon!